All very true EB! You do have to pay a little attention though to the Tamiya releases as some are just reboxes of Italeri kits, others are rebox of Tasca/Asuka, and some, like this one, are all-Tamiya. The give-away is usually the kit number. If it's a 353xx type number, it's all-Tamiya for their recent releases.

This is the first build or review of the Tamiya SU-76 I've seen. It was announced several months ago with delivery in "2016". This kit joins the growing list of new tool Tamiya tanks. First there were the 70's kits many of which had electric motors: remain terrific deals for beginners or anyone on a tight budget. (I might build their ancient Stug IV just to try to make a knocked-out tank.) Since the late 90s new tool kits have come out periodically apparently bunched. (The list is not complete: good old scalemates gives you the timeline for most kits.)  Around 2000 put out a batch that includes their Marder, Japanese Type 3 Medium, and Wespe: another bunch around 2008 like "Polish campaign" PZII and the Hetzer. In the last couple of years another batch of new tool kits have been coming out. As each preceeding wave were considerable improvements, today's are really sweet. I built the Jagdpanzer IV and own the 1/35 British MK IV male (with motor which shall go in). This year the new kits have been a Panther D (Kursk - ie, no zimmerit), a M4 Easy Eight and the SU-76.  (I've never made a Tamiya 1/48: know many modelers love them.) Each has been reviewed very highly - I've never seen an armor kit as well engineered as the Jagdpanzer. The SU76 is a real inspiration. There's only a Mini-art rendition available now and like most East European kits it's supposedly a little dodgy. It was the second most produced vehicle during WWII deployed by the Red Army after the T-34. It carried an advanced rendition of the Soviet 76mm gun and had good armor piercing and HE capabilities. It enabled the Soviets to keep their already created T-70 production facilities in use. The weapon ended up spread throughout the world during the early Cold War and was in Korea. By any measure a very important weapon, and now we've got a nice model of it. Also shows that when they put their mind to it that Tamiya remains the best model maker on the planet.

Thanks Gamera! It's a tiny little guy by comparison to its bigger cousins, no question! It's roughly the same size as a Marder II and was essentially designed for the same role. 

Great to have you back Bill!!! 

And very cool, for some reason I always end up buying T-34s and bigger stuff like ISU-152s and have never got around to building one of these. 

Bish

I was checking this one out on your site, really nice work as always. Am i right in thinking this is a tamiya production and not a re-box of some one elses.

 

That's right Bish, it's 100% Tamiya sprues and all-new tooling. It has nothing in common (other than being an SU-76M) with any of the other kits out there.  

 

I was checking this one out on your site, really nice work as always. Am i right in thinking this is a tamiya production and not a re-box of some one elses.

Thanks Bruce! Glad to have you along.

Good the have you back, Bill! I'll definitely be following along!